Central Coast Mariners fell to a 4-1 defeat at home to Auckland FC in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Auckland were clinical on the break in an end-to-end first half, taking the lead on 11 minutes through captain Hiroki Sakai’s header.
A positive response saw the Mariners draw level just four minutes later, Alfie McCalmont striking his first goal for the club after a creative set-piece.
Auckland then scored twice to take a 3-1 lead into the break with goals from Jake Brimmer and Guillermo May.
The Mariners dominated the second half but couldn’t find the final moment of quality to reduce the deficit, before Auckland struck a fourth on 84 minutes, killing any hopes of a late comeback.
🔢 Line-Up
Jacko made two changes as Trent Sainsbury started for the first time in the Isuzu UTE A-League since returning to the club, Lucas Mauragis also came back into the starting eleven.
Starting XI: Peraic-Cullen (GK), Kaltak, Sainsbury (C), McCalmont, Kuol, Doka, Mauragis, Roux, Steele, Paull, Eames.
Substitutions:
46′ ON: Ngor, Brandtman OFF: Sainsbury, Eames
65′ ON: Smith OFF: Mauragis
87′ ON: Feijao OFF: Kuol.
Unused subs: Pavlesic (GK), Herrington, Scicluna.
🔢 Your Mariners team to take on Auckland!
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) December 28, 2024
🫡 A homecoming for our skipper
💪 Mauragis returns to the starting XI
🌟 Back-to-back starts for Haine Eames
#CCMFC #CCMvAKL #RideTheWave🌊 pic.twitter.com/ihRxxl8Atk
First Half
An end to end start saw Auckland take the lead through Sakai’s header, before the Mariners hit straight back through McCalmont’s strike from the edge of the box.
Auckland regained the lead after a fantastic, improvised finish from Jake Brimmer, somewhat controversially after what looked like a foul on McCalmont in the build-up as Auckland broke away.
The visitors got their third before half time as De Vries’ cross from the left squirmed all the way through and left May with an unmissable opportunity from right on the goal line.
Second half
The Mariners would have all the second half possession and pressure but were unable to get a goal back. Mikael Doka saw a shot blocked within a minute of the restart, before forcing Alex Paulsen into a save with a long range effort on 55 minutes.
Moments later, the Brazilian pulled out brilliant a piece of skill on the halfway line before threading a pass through to Alou Kuol, but there was nobody in a Mariners shirt there to get onto his cutback.
Despite all the second half possession and pressure, the Mariners were unable to get a goal back in the second half, with Auckland able to see out the victory.
▶️ Full Highlights via Central Coast Mariners YouTube
🌴 Next up at Our Paradise
It’s a short turnaround for both our Men and Women’s teams, as next up is our huge New Years Eve Double Header against Melbourne City!
Tickets for all matches are available via Ticketek, with our great value, flexible six-game memberships also available via the banner below for just $90.
